Nerdbloke

Video2mp3 is a free video to MP3 Converter and allows you to convert and download a video to MP3 file online. This service is fast, free, and requires no signup. All you need is a Video URL, and our software will transfer the video to our server, extract the MP3, and give you a link to download the audio file. So you are able to listen to your favorite YouTube tracks on every MP3 player.

via YouTube to MP3 Converter – Video2mp3 – Converter.

A while ago I got excited about booting Windows 7 using Virtual Hard Drives as the boot media. I have always thought it would be great if I could use differencing disks so I could:

• create new instances of OS’s super-fast
• back up changed environments but only have to copy the differences (as opposed to moving 30+ Gigabyte files around the network.

I found a post from the folks over at lost techies that talked about how easy it is to set up a system that boots from VHD’s that are children of other VHD’s.

1. Set up a “base” VHD
2. Open an administrative console session:
   • > diskpart
   • > create vdisk file=”C:\vhd\starcraft.vhd” parent=”C:\vhd\win7base.vhd”
3. I use some tools from NeoSmart Technologies like EasyBCD to put the diff disks as an option in your bootup sequence in your boot menu and – tada booting from a VHD diff disk

I have started converting a two-and-a-half single-brick internal garage into a man cave. It will be a place for the family to play the arcade machines. It will also be the kids play/rumpus room, until they get a bit older and then I convert it into a true mancave with darts, pool table, bar, projector etc.

I am not a builder so I am learning as I go. I started a few days. I have constructed a timber frame to hang gyprock sheets. The frame is made of 70x35mm structural pine. I’ve bolted the frames to the brick piers using 100mm screws and wall plugs. As the timber wall sits directly on the concrete floor and touches some brickwork below the damp-course I’ve used some 500 micron dampcourse tape to insulate the timber from the brick and concrete.

When I pulled my compound drop/mitre saw out of storage it died on first use. Acrid black smoke came out of the motor. Not a good start. I used the hand-saw and a small circular saw for the rest of that day then purchased a mega-cheap drop saw from Aldi’s the next day. I picked up some R1.5 wall batts from bunnings and got the walls up. See pics.

I am getting ready to hang the gyprock. I found a few videos on youtube about hanging drywall. I was a bit concerned that some of the joins wouldn’t match up with timber behind it – but from the video it looks as if it doesn’t matter too much for the horizontal joins. From what I can tell only the butt joins have to be secured on timber.

A very nice looking cocktail arcade machine: Dr. Action’s Distraction Contraption – a set on Flickr.

Just found this from Exdous1999 and Baka no Kami: Tested and worked perfectly for me. Messed around a little and finally found settings that work for making nookcolor compatible video. I used a converted called Handbrake which is available here: http://handbrake.fr/ If you need help using Handbrake check the user manual they have on the site.

Set the output container to MP4

On the video tab set the video codec to MPEG-4 FFmpeg .

Set the Target Size to something appropriate for the type of video. I find that 175MB for every 30minutes of video gives a good picture, so an hour long TV show would be 350MB a 2hr movie 700MB, etc.

On the audio tab highlight whatever is in the bottom box and hit the remove button. The audio turned out to be the problem the first couple of times I tried this, the audio on my original file had a sample rate of 48 and the NC wouldn t play it, when I lowered the sample rate suddenly the video worked. So, set the autotab like this:

Source: Automatic or use the drop down to choose which audio track you want if the video has multiple

Audio Codec: AAC faac

Mixdown: Stereo

Samplerate: 44.1

Bitrate: 128

Now hit the Add button. The only thing left is to set the destination for the final file. Browse to whatever folder you want, but be sure to use .mp4 or .m4v as the file extension, if you use anything else the NC will not recognize it as a video file even if everything else is right.

Now hit the start button at the top and go read a book while you wait for Handbrake to process the video. Other settings may also work for video, but so far this is the only thing that worked for me, so it s what I m sticking with.

via Color Nook Color Video Playback – MobileRead Forums.

I am writing a genetic algorythm to predict nrl rugby league game outcomes for me. I haven’t written C# code for a while now.

Forgotten many things: eg silly easy things like object serialization, and constructor chaining. Too easy one forgets when not actively pumping out the code.

It was nice to get back in the zone though. I wrote code until it was 2am. Not even sleepy. The Footy Tipping GA is just about ready to go…

http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2944

Wow, check out the vids on this page of some super-dooper fancy pinball emulation.

Especially this vid – wow!

Not the same as the real thing but at ~$6K for an “Addams Family” pinball machine (and another few thousand to fix it up) it’s as close as I am going to get.

HyperPin, VP9, and Dream Pin a work of art!!!

Finnally got around to installing some VP9 tables… VP8 didnt really impress me too much, but VP9 blew me away. Must say these guys did a great job.

via Hackall – hyperpin.

Genetic Algorithms

Genetic algorithms operate on a set of possible solutions. Because of the random nature of genetic algorithms, solutions found by an algorithm can be good, poor, or infeasible [defective, erroneous], so there should be a way to specify how good that solution is. This is done by assigning a fitness value [or just fitness] to the solution. Chromosomes represent solutions within the genetic algorithm. The two basic components of chromosomes are the coded solution and its fitness value.

via Genetic Algorithm Library – CodeProject.

I am a big believer in open source, open standards, open everything. I noticed this from Digital Standards Organization:

What is an open standard? The Wikipedia page shows many definitions, which specify characteristics of a specification, or of the processes that produce it and make it available.

To understand why there is no single agreed definition, and to let us build a canonical definition, we can start with two observations:

1. The standardization process is driven by two conflicting economic motives. Established vendors see standards as a route to direct profits, while the market at large sees standards as a route to lower costs.

2. As the economic has become digital, governments – both as users and regulators – have become engaged in the conflict between these two interest groups.

Read more here: Digital Standards Organization – Free and Open Digital Standards

P.S. – I love using the letter “z” in words. I never get to use them in UK/Australian english.  :-)